


Staring into the eyes of death

by lokilenchen



Series: Trektober 2020 [29]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grim Reapers, Injury Recovery, M/M, Married Couple, Serious Injuries, Surgery, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokilenchen/pseuds/lokilenchen
Summary: It all had started the day Leonard had brought Jim back from death, the day he had injected his husband with a serum made out of Khan’s blood. This was the first time he saw the dark, ominous figure sneaking through his medbay.Trektober Day 30 (Injuries)
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Series: Trektober 2020 [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168697
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38
Collections: Trektober 2020





	Staring into the eyes of death

It all had started the day Leonard had brought Jim back from death, the day he had injected his husband with a serum made out of Khan’s blood. This was the first time he saw the dark, ominous figure sneaking through his medbay. 

When he had finished the serum he stepped up to the man he loved, who was practically dead and the person wrapped in black did the same, reaching out, wanting to grab Jim and take him away forever. Leonard starred up into the cold eyes of death and without hesitation he injected the dose; the figure disappeared.

From then whenever a crew member was close to death the figure would appear and with it a iciness that filled the whole room as if he had already lost the battle for life and death. The reaper would breath down his neck, waiting for him to make a mistake, watching whether his efforts would be in vain and sometimes taking life right out of his hands.

It was another away mission, what else could it have been, that left Jim with a polytrauma. The away team, Leonard wasn’t one of them,had beamed down to a planet, there were no hostile forces, no monstrous beasts or poisonous plans, just a beautiful landscape and a few new harmless plants and insects for the scientists to discover. Still his heroic idiot of a husband managed to get severely injured.

One of the Ensigns was crouching on the ground near the rocky slope scanning a plant, when the rocks of the stone structure started to crumble under the scientist's feet. Jim had seen it and had pushed the member of his crew out of the way, before the ground broke away under and he fell down the cliff. At least that’s what Spock had told him.

That’s how the Captain of the Enterprise landed in a bloody heap on Leonard’s operating table once again, several broken bones, slight skull trauma and a great range of internal injuries. 

Hour over hour the doctor spent trying to stabilize the blond, the presence of the deadly figure clear in mind, feeling it looking into his very soul. The brunette quickly got the head trauma under control, he had also stopped a large part of the internal bleeding. 

The damaged organs were the next part he needed to fix. He was operating on Jim’s liver when the biobed monitor flatlined and Leonard’s heart for a short moment stopped as well.

Approaching, hand of death reaching out, trying to take his husband away the figure came nearer and nearer, but Leonard wouldn’t and couldn’t accept that, there was no way he could stay in space without the love of his life by his side.

With an unprecedented strength Leonard pushed the grim reaper against the nearest wall. Glance not wavering he kept eye contact.

“Don’t you dare and touch him, don’t you dare. I can save him. Just watch and you’ll see, because this man on the table is my life. If he dies there is no way I can survive. So I beg you not to wipe out my sun, my only light in this darkness of space. I love him more than I love life itself, so I'm telling you that I can save him,” Leonard begged, demanded and cried all at once. 

All of a sudden the reaper, moments ago still cold to touch, warmed up with each word Leonard said. “You have a big and passionate heart Leonard McCoy, you’ll save a lot of lives. Save your husband,” it whispered and vanished, giving Leonard the chance he needed to save Jim.

And with all the strength the doctor had he revived Jim and completed the operation before he slumped down next to the biobed and cried until he had no tears left. 

A week later Jim woke up. “How bad was it?” Jim asked, voice rough from the lack of use, even though the dark circles and the blood shot eyes were an indication just how bad it had been.

The question alone brought Leonard back to tears. “Jim, I nearly lost you. Death had already reached for you,” Leonard sobbed, clinging to his husband’s hand. “Please, I can't lose you. I love you.”

“God Bones, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t let the poor kid get hurt when I had the chance to save them. I love you, Bones, I try to stay safe, I don’t want to hurt you,” Jim rasped, gently caressing the doctor’s hand and wiping his tears away with the other hand. “Don’t cry, you look so much more beautiful when you smile.”

Groaning, the Captain sat up and Leonard hadn’t even enough power to stop him from doing so, especially because he had to take it easy after such an operation. So Jim was able to close the distance between them and seal their lips in a kiss, showing him the gratitude he felt for every minute, hell every second, Leonard stayed by his side.

They stayed in medbay a little longer until cuddled together, as much as that was possible, until Jim sent Leonard to get a little bit of sleep. 

A few days later Jim was allowed to spend the rest of his recovery time in their shared quarters, where Leonard didn’t leave his side, constantly making sure Jim’s heart was still beating steadily in his chest.

After this occurrence Leonard didn’t see the reaper again, but knowing it had given him a second chance to save his love, he fought for the lives on his operation table like death was still breathing down his neck.


End file.
